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Passing French Phrases
The French verb passer, “to pass,” is found in many idiomatic expressions, including to slip into, be on TV, and miss one’s turn. Learn these and dozens of other French expressions featuring passer.
Passer translations
- to pass
- to cross
- to go over/under/through
- (liquid) to strain
- (movie, music) to show, put on
- (test) to take
- (time) to spend
Passer expressions
| passer + clothing | to slip into / on | ||
| passer + infinitive | to go do something | ||
| passer à la douane | to go through customs | ||
| passer à la radio | to be on the radio | ||
| passer à la télé | to be on TV | ||
| passer à l’heure d’été | to turn the clocks forward, begin daylight saving time | ||
| passer à l’heure d’hiver | to turn the clocks back, end daylight saving time | ||
| passer à pas lents | to pass slowly | ||
| passer au crible | to examine closely, go through with a fine-toothed comb | ||
| passer au second plan | to fade into the background | ||
| passer de bons moments | to have a good time | ||
| passer de bouche en bouche | to be rumored about | ||
| passer de mode | to go out of fashion | ||
| passer des faux billets | to pass forged money | ||
| passer devant Monsieur le maire | (informal) | to get married | |
| passer de vie à trépas | to pass away | ||
| passer du coq à l’âne | to change the subject, make a non sequitur | ||
| passer (en) + ordinal number | to put in ___ gear | ||
| passer en coup de vent | to charge through | ||
| passer en courant | to run past | ||
| passer en revue | to list | ||
| (figurative) | to go over in one’s mind, go through | ||
| (military) | to (pass in) review, to inspect | ||
| passer entre les gouttes | to run between the raindrops; to come through without a scratch | ||
| passer l’âge de | to be too old for | ||
| passer l’arme à gauche | (familiar) | to kick the bucket | |
| passer la journée/soirée | to spend the day/evening | ||
| passer la main dans le dos à quelqu’un | to butter someone up | ||
| passer la tête à la porte | to poke one’s head around the door | ||
| passer le cap | to get past the worst, turn the corner, get over the hurdle | ||
| passer le cap des 40 ans | to turn 40 | ||
| passer le flambeau | to pass the torch | ||
| passer le poteau | to cross the finish line | ||
| passer les bornes | to go too far | ||
| passer les limites | to go too far | ||
| passer les menottes à quelqu’un | to handcuff someone | ||
| passer outre | (aux = avoir) | to carry on, be undaunted | |
| passer outre à | (aux = être) | to disregard, ignore (e.g., an order) | |
| passer par (une expérience, un intermédiaire) | to go through (an experience, intermediary) | ||
| passer par de dures épreuves | to go through some rough times | ||
| passer par toutes les couleurs de l’arc-en-ciel | to blush to the roots of one’s hair, to turn pale (out of fear) | ||
| passer par l’université | to go through college | ||
| passer pour | to take for, be taken for | ||
| passer quelque chose à quelqu’un | to pass/hand something to someone | ||
| passer quelque chose aux/par profits et pertes | to write something off (as a loss) | ||
| passer quelque chose en fraude | to smuggle something | ||
| passer quelque chose sous silence | to pass something over in silence | ||
| passer quelqu’un à tabac | to beat someone up | ||
| passer quelqu’un par les armes | to shoot someone by firing squad | ||
| passer sa colère sur quelqu’un | to take out one’s anger on someone | ||
| passer sa mauvaise humeur sur quelqu’un | to take out one’s bad mood on someone | ||
| passer sa vie à faire | to spend one’s life doing | ||
| passer son envie de | to satisfy one’s craving for | ||
| passer son permis (de conduire) | to take one’s driving test | ||
| passer son tour | to miss one’s turn | ||
| passer sur (un détail, une erreur) | to pass over, overlook | ||
| passer un caprice à quelqu’un | to humor someone | ||
| passer un bon moment | to have a good time | ||
| passer un coup de fil à quelqu’un | (informal) | to give someone a call | |
| passer un examen | to take / sit a test | ||
| passer un livre à quelqu’un | to loan someone a book | ||
| passer un marché | to make a deal | ||
| passer une nuit blanche | to have a sleepless night | ||
| passer une visite médicale | to get / have a physical | ||
| Ça fait du bien par où ça passe ! | (informal) | That’s just what the doctor ordered! | |
| Ça fait passer le temps. | It passes the time. | ||
| Ce n’est qu’un mauvais moment à passer. | It’s just a rough patch, bad spell. | ||
| Comme le temps passe vite ! | Time flies! | ||
| dire tout ce qui passe par la tête | to say whatever comes into one’s head | ||
| et j’en passe ! | and that’s not all! | ||
| faire passer le goût du pain à qqun | (informal) | to wipe the smile off somebody’s face | |
| faire passer quelque chose aux / par profits et pertes | to write something off (as a loss) | ||
| faire passer quelqu’un pour | to make someone out to be | ||
| faire qqchose pour faire passer la pilule | to do something to sweeten the pill | ||
| Je ne fais que passer. | I can’t stay, I’m just passing through. | ||
| Je vous le / la passe. | (on phone) | I’m putting you through him / her. | |
| Je vous passe + (name). | (on phone) | I’m putting you through to ___, Here’s ___. | |
| laisser passer | to let in/through/past | ||
| On est tous passés par là . | We’ve all been through that | ||
| On lui passe tout. | He gets away with anything, He gets whatever he wants. | ||
| Par où es-tu passé ? | Which way did you come? | ||
| Passez-moi l’expression. | (If you’ll) pardon the expression, Pardon my French. | ||
| Passez-moi du feu. | Give me a light, Let me borrow your lighter. | ||
| Passons … | Let’s move on, Let’s not talk about that (any more) | ||
| Passons l’éponge ! | Let’s forget about it, let bygones be bygones! | ||
| pour faire passer | (food) | to wash down, to help it down | |
| pour passer le temps | to pass the time | ||
| en passant | in passing, on one’s way | ||
| soit dit en passant | by the way, incidentally | ||
| Qu’est-ce qu’il lui a passé (comme savon) ! | (informal) | He really laid into him, gave him a rough time! | |
| Tu (le) fais passer. | You pass it around . | ||
| Un ange passe. | There’s an awkward silence. | ||
| Une idée m’est passé par la tête. | I had an idea. | ||
| se passer | (reflexive) | – to take place – (time) to pass, go by | |
| (reciprocal) | to give, pass to each other | ||
| se passer de | to do without | ||
| se passer de commentaires | to speak for itself | ||
| se passer la main dans le dos | to pat one another on the back | ||
| se faire passer pour | to pretend to be, pass oneself off as | ||
| Ça ne se passera pas comme ça ! | I won’t stand for that! | ||
| Je me passe de tes conseils ! | I can do without your advice! | ||
| Je ne sais pas ce qui se passe en lui | I don’t don’t what’s got into him, come over him | ||
| Qu’est-ce qui s’est passé ? | What happened? | ||
| Tout s’est bien passé | Everything went smoothly, without a hitch | ||
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